Records: 22 bars linked to the most DWIs in San Antonio since 2016

Click through the slideshow to find out which San Antonio establishments were associated with the most DWIs since 2016, according to data obtained from the San Antonio Police Department.

Click through the slideshow to find out which San Antonio establishments were associated with the most DWIs since 2016, according to data obtained from the San Antonio Police Department.

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Photo: FILE PHOTO

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Click through the slideshow to find out which San Antonio establishments were associated with the most DWIs since 2016, according to data obtained from the San Antonio Police Department.

Click through the slideshow to find out which San Antonio establishments were associated with the most DWIs since 2016, according to data obtained from the San Antonio Police Department.

Photo: FILE PHOTO

Records: 22 bars linked to the most DWIs in San Antonio since 2016

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When guests at Cowboys Dancehall become too intoxicated to make their own way home, Cowboys employees have three options: Allow the patron to park his or her car there overnight and get a ride from a friend, have them call a cab (and Cowboys will pick up the tab) or call the police.

The policies are in place to eliminate the number of intoxicated drivers on the road — a number that came to the forefront of the minds of members of Cowboys management about six years ago when the San Antonio Police Department began tracking the places where people consumed their last alcoholic beverages before being arrested for driving while under the influence.

The police department uses that information to help decide where enforcement is needed, according to spokesman Carlos Ortiz, and invites managers of establishments with particularly high numbers of associated DWIs to participate in "Team DWI meetings," a collaboration between the officers and bar and restaurant managers.

The department also submits the information to the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, the body that issues, denies and investigates issues with liquor licenses.

If an intoxicated driver crashes and causes injury or death, the commission conducts an investigation to determine whether disciplinary action should be taken against the bars they were drinking at.

The commission is required to investigate complaints, which typically involve serious injury or death. Sometimes it warns establishments before investigating, and other time shows up undercover to test whether establishments are serving intoxicated guests, which is illegal, Porter said.

"If during the investigation we discover violations, we can take actions, such as a fine or a warning. It is useful information that we use to determine where the risk is," said Christopher Porter, a spokesman for the commission.

The commission doesn't investigate every single DWI arrest, Porter said, but if it notices that one bar or restaurant has a particularly high number of DWI arrests associated with it, it can use that information to issue a fine, suspension, or, in extreme cases, to cancel the liquor license.

Since the San Antonio Police Department began tracking the information partway through 2012, Cowboys has most often topped the list, peaking in 2014 with 142 suspects claiming they had their last drink there.

When the dancehall was notified of its poor ranking, management began stepping up training to bring that number down, said spokesperson Kari Wade.

Every manager and owner attends the quarterly team DWI meetings held by the police department, and all staff members — regardless of whether or not they serve alcohol — are trained in proper serving procedures each year, which is more frequent than recommended, Wade said.

Though Cowboys is still one of the establishments associated most often with DWIs, its efforts are paying off. In 2018, Cowboys moved down to fifth on the list with 16 associated DWIs as of July 8, and the police department applauded Cowboys efforts to lower their number, Wade said.

"We're real proud of what's going on," Wade said. "We don't want any DWIs coming from our place ... we don't want anyone endangering the community or the society."

Click through the slideshow to find out which other bars and restaurants were associated with the most DWIs from the beginning of 2016 through the middle of 2018.